How car seat friendly is Amtrak (train and bus)?

[Kyras mom]

We will be travelling on the Amtrak train and bus in a few months with our daughter(she will be 21 months old then). I'm almost positive we can use the carseat on the train, but I am curious about the bus. Does anyone have bus/car seat experience? Are they equipped with seat belts? I plan on calling Amtrak soon with these questions but any travel tips are appreciated!
TIA,
Karen
DD Kyra (12/6/2003)

[stillplayswithbarbies]

there are no seatbelts on the train so you won't be able to use the carseat there. I don't know about the bus.

Post back and let us know what Amtrak says.

...Karen
DS Jake Feb 91, DD Logan Mar 03
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[Splash]

As far as I know, the bus has no seatbelts either. At least, I know public transportation buses have no seatbelts... the Amtrak bus probably doesn't either.
E

[MamaParis]

Every train and bus that I have taken have never had seatbelts.

I'd LOVE to take the kids on a train ride - but I'm a carseat wierdo - so we're stuck to planes and cars for the time being ... sigh ...

[kijip]

While there are no seatbelts on the trains or the buses (as far as i know), you can rest assured that the bus is actully quite safe without carseats. I don't know about trains but I would figure that with the incident of crashes being much lower on trains than cars (cars are the least safe way to travel and the least safe thing kids do period) that you'll be ok on the train without a seat. FWIW, I am a carseat obsessed mama and I would take Toby on a train without a second thought. Be sure to take the seat along so you have it for the cab/car rental end of your trip!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

> FWIW, I am a carseat obsessed
>mama and I would take Toby on a train without a second
>thought. Be sure to take the seat along so you have it for
>the cab/car rental end of your trip!

Same here. I take the train to work every day and I have no hesitation about taking Logan on it. The seats are designed for safety, much like a schoolbus. We took the Auto Train to Florida last Christmas when Logan was <2 years old, but her first train ride was at 2 weeks old. She slept in her stroller on the train.

You all do realize that when your kids start school, they will go off on a schoolbus with no seatbelts? :)

[MamaParis]

Mine won't!!! :)

Mine will be driven to school - its a private school actually and their "busses" are actually just vans and they allow you to put booster seats and carseats in it for the younger kids! :)
But eventhough, I'm still driving them to school!


ps - our school system in the state STINKS! So don't think I'm just being a private school snob - its sorta just THE thing to do here if you actually want an education. I believe we're like 48th out of the 50 states for education .. sad sad sad!

[kijip]

The weight of the vans/buses determines if the vehicle has seat belts or not. Once you get to the full school bus size, the size itself (as well as other design features) provide safety. So for all of the parents out there who can't drive their kids to school- rest assured that they are safe!

I hear you about weighing private vs. public. It is a hard decision to make here since some schools are great and others are awful.

[Rachels]

Maybe, but I wouldn't put my child on a school bus if I had any alternative, either. I remember our bus driver hitting a curb taking a corner too fast when I was in fifth grade. I bounced quite high out of my seat and came down with my front tooth on my seatmate's head. The tooth was shoved way up into the gum and I had to have minor oral surgery to correct it, and she had a few stitches in her head. It wasn't even as though there had been an accident or anything major. Another time, stopping a bit short propelled me into the metal backing of the seat in front of me, and I jammed my fingers. These were separate drivers on separate buses. It just doesn't feel that safe to me to be moving at traffic speeds without being secured in some way.

That said, I wouldn't hesitate about a train, either. :)

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02
New baby coming in October!


"When you know better, you do better."
Maya Angelou
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Nursed for three years!